EPA promotes carbon labels for food products

2011/05/19 17:52:56

Taipei, May 19 (CNA) The Environmental Protection Administration(EPA) launched a new program Thursday to encourage the food industryto attach carbon labels on products in an effort to promotelow-carbon diets.

EPA officials said that around 80 percent of office workers eatout and that Taiwanese people consume around 5 billion lunch boxesevery year. Because of this, according to the EPA, if customers wereto choose products according to carbon labels, it would help reducethe country's greenhouse gas emissions.

Around 100,000 food providers such as restaurants and bakerieshave been invited to take part in the program and a meeting will beheld to give detailed information about ways of calculating carbonemissions and labeling, according to the officials.

Carbon emissions will be lowest if products are made locally, theofficials said. Using the average lunchbox as an example, the carboncalculation would need to include the processes of production,transport, sale, storage, usage and recycling, the officials said.

The program will also help food providers to save material costs,according to the officials.